“Hi Annie, Your enthusiasm is truly infectious. Yes, the photos (while pretty bad from a technical quality point of view) are pretty interesting historically. The Paris Theatre concert in Sydney is now legendary and I am pretty sure that there was no one else there with a camera that night. Sadly, these four photos are the only ones I took.

 
 
Ed Kuepper - Laughing Clowns; Nick Cave and Tracey Pew (now deceased) – Birthday Party; Ben Wallace-Crabbe (bass – now deceased) and Jeffrey (drums – sporting a very fetching pencil moustache!) – Laughing Clowns; Rowland S Howard (deceased December 30th 2009) and Nick Cave – Birthday Party - Paris Theater November 1980

That concert at The Paris Theatre was the best gig I ever saw and was the Clowns’ last gig as a ‘big band’ with Bob, Dan, Ben and Peter Doyle on trumpet. They were playing with the Birthday Party (their first gig back in Sydney after moving to England) and the Go-Betweens (their first gig in Sydney after moving down from Brisbane). The Go-Betweens were nervous as all get out - I recall Lindy Morrison looking like she wanted to hide behind the curtains at the back of the stage. The Theatre was only half full - unbelievable for such a lineup - I had got there hours early to ensure my ticket and had crept in through the stage door to listen to the soundchecks without anyone noticing. The Birthday Party and the Clowns really respected each other and wanted to impress each other, so both bands soared into the stratoshpere that night… It was something very very special. I stood in front of the stage with my instamatic camera and took some photos. Sadly Bob never played with the Clowns again (though Louise proved to be a fine replacement). Ben had problems - I last saw him at Chequers cadging money of near-strangers - and he later committed suicide - extremely sad for a lovely talented guy.

Interestingly, the next time I saw the Birthday Party a couple of months later in early 1981 in Sydney they had gone feral and confrontational! They had rediscovered the Stooges and played “Loose” etc. They seemed to be rejecting their earlier artier, somewhat more restrained incarnation that played at the Paris Theatre. I was a bit surprised by this at the time and I recall after the gig asking them when was the last time they had played “Loose”, as it seemed like a throwback to their early punk years. Their reply was ‘last night’, which I guess put me in my place. But they were very friendly all the same and full of jokes and fun.

The next time I saw the Laughing Clowns after the Paris Theatre was in about March 1981 in King Street, Newtown in Sydney. They were back to being a four piece, with Dan Wallace-Crabbe on bass, and no saxophone – only Peter Doyle on trumpet. That night they broke open a carton of their 3rd EP (the one with Collapse Board) for sale to the punters – it is now as rare as hen’s teeth because the songs were later collected on the Reign of Terror LP. Then a few weeks later I went to see them play at the Trade Union Club and Dan never showed up (don’t know what happened with him – I never saw him again). They ended up taking the stage about 2 hours late as a three-piece and did some improvised jamming. Apparently that night Louise Elliott was in the audience and was blown away by them and asked if they needed a sax player. You can guess the rest. All they needed was a bassist and they found Les Millar. Queue the second great lineup of the Clowns – the one that recorded Uddich Smuddich and Everything that Flies.

All up I saw the Clowns at least 15 times over the years. They were so far removed from and ahead of their time that it was ridiculous. I was privileged to be part of it and was privileged once again this year to be at Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour to see their first Sydney gig in 25 years (the same day as the Saints’ first Sydney gig in 32 years) - thanks Nick for making that happen.

But such bands that we had in Australia in those days! There was also Tactics, X, Thought Criminals, The Poles, Pel Mel, the Moodists, the Triffids, the Scientists, the Reels, Sardine V, Makers of the Dead Travel Fast, the Sunnyboys, Machinations – the list goes on. In Sydney you could go and see great bands 4-5 times a week every week all for just a few dollars. But the Clowns were my favourites – and before them the Saints, so Ed is number one living national treasure, closely followed by Nick Cave as number two. It was such a small friendly scene in those days that you saw the same faces at most gigs and there was a real community feel – a feeling of being part of something exclusive and precious and never to be repeated. If you met someone at a Clowns gig you knew that they would be someone interesting – someone worth getting to know.

Number one deceased national treasure was Dave McComb of the Triffids – now the Triffids were a whole different story – utter genius.

Anyway, I am gibbering now – so I’ll stop.”

Adrian

For those of you who missed Adrian’s first spontaneous comment on Meltingpod about Jeffrey Wegener’s podcast and interview, it’s here again :

“I first saw the Clowns at the Civic Hotel in Sydney in 1979. They they were just a four piece with Bob Farrell on sax and Ben Wallace-Crabbe on bass. Jeff used to wear a white lab coat (the Professor) and having the drums at the front of the stage was a great idea, as Jeff was such a powerful and imaginative drummer. Bob Farrell’s contribution is usually overlooked - but he was utterly brilliant. He inspired me to take up the saxophone myself. Later Ben’s cousin Dan Wallace-Crabbe joined on keyboards and it was that lineup that recorded the landmark first mini-LP. To my mind the greatest Australian recording ever.

In 1980 I interviewed Jeff and Ben in their squat in Kings Cross, Sydney for the fanzine Roadrunner. I recall arriving on their doorstep and not being able to get anyone to hear that I was knocking on the door because Jeff was practicing drumming and that was all you could hear. Eventually they heard me pounding on the door and the interview was a gracious and interesting one. Probably the only Clowns interview without Ed (Ben walked to Ed’s house and asked if he wanted to participate, but apparently Ed had better things to do - so it was just the rhythm section).

Later I visited the squat once again and Ed was there cooking something inedible on the stove for the three of them - again he was very gracious and very wry in the way that only Ed can be.”

The Saints with Chris Bailey, Peter Wilkinson and Caspar Wijnberg in 2005 in France near Lyon at the festival Oulala

I started with a surprising and nice version from Nights in Venice proposed in one of Chris’ last albums “Bone Box”, then I played two melancholic songs “Bridges” (written in Berlin in 89 after the fall of the wall) and “Photograph” (from one of his solo albums “Encore” in 1995) which were in harmony with my current sadness after having learnt my friend Mick Cocks’ (Rose Tattoo) death the last days of December; the day of Mick’s funerals December 30th, another great and talentuous Australian musician passed away due to the same sickness (a bad liver cancer) : Rowland S Howard (The Young Charlatans with Jeffrey Wegener) The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party, (with Nick Cave and Mick Harvey), These Immortal Souls (with Genevieve McGuckin, his partner in the life too) and a lot of other bands : it was pretty hard to want and sound happy, I’m sorry, I stayed true…and I will try to do something special for them later; now it’s too hard for me.
But don’t worry, I used some energetic Saints’ songs like “Je Fuckin’ T’aime” (Imperious Delirium 2006) “Erotic Neurotic” (Live at Paddingtown Hall in 77), and our mutual Swedish friend Lars Wallin’s performance on the didgeridoo to keep the spirits high; I finished with “Just Like Fire Would” : a beautiful melody with dark lyrics though…
A luck Chris’ talk was as funny as usual and I’m sure you will appreciate his Irish humor one more time !! : I wish you an Happy New Year with still more Love, Friendship and good Rock and Roll !

Chris’ Godess cat on his computer : Try to send her some e-mails…:)

By The Way : if you live in Australia, don’t forget Ed Kuepper’s next tour with The Laughing Clowns from Januray 21th to 26th in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, sharing the bill with Warren Ellis and his Dirty Three!!

Here some nice pics from Mick playing with Doomfoxx in 2006 in Germany; I took so many pics from Mick with Rose Tattoo myself, I couldn’t choose among them today…I’m too sad…A little later, I will try to build something special for him, Mick : one of my favorite Aussie rockers and I don’t have a lot of favorites…but believe it or not I know he is still around, closer than we can imagine, free, laughing and joking, asking us to keep the nose high…:) and to say MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL !!

Mick Cocks signing autographs before the show with Rose Tattoo in Hamburg Germany 2007 (pic : thank to Eli_Ann)

 
Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper with The Saints at ATP in Australia in January 2009 (pics : Richard Sharman and Carbie Warbie)

I illustrated the interview with some nice songs from The Saints at different periods : two fabulous Live versions of Nights in Venice and The Chameleon recorded with the original line up (Ed, Ivor with Caspar and a horn section) at Pig City in 2007 (a live album is released !!), Simple Love (in 81 with Barrington Francis at the guitar, Janine Hall at the bass, Mark Birmingham on the drums) Demolition girl (Live at Paddingtown Hall in 77) I’m misunderstood (The International Robot sessions in 77).
Stay in touch for more in the part 2 on line soon !

The poster of a painting from the Wall hung on my wall for years…

This year a lot of politicians from Europe celebrated the 20th anniversary with a huge party in front of the Brandeburger Tor. I was not very convinced with their performance thinking to the financial crisis, to all other walls which still exist around the world and to all the people who still live oppressed by dictators in the complete indifference.

Meeting with an angel in Berlin…

my friends from East Berlin who found their ex-national flag thrown in the rubbish after the fall of the wall…

So I chose through that podcast to do a kind of punk personal celebration in two parts : first with mixing some old live ambience recordings I did in “my” Berlin these last years (during the Walpurgis Night in Friedrichshain streets with the band ACK, with Markus in his car, at Wild at Heart a punk club in Kreuzberg) , a few German songs I love (from the band Noah : “Help your police, Hit yourself” and from John F. un die Gropiuslerchen : “Berlin Berlin”) and a recent interview I recorded with Ralf who shares with us his night in Berlin November 9 th when he heard the Wall was opened !!

The Wall’s opening from East Berlin side : still some hesitations…

In a second part I propose to leave Berlin for a country which is waking up from a very hard nightmare too : Cambodia where the dictactors Kmher Rouge completly destroyed the culture and erected a kind of mental wall which isolated the people until they lost the memory of their own names.
I recorded a few days ago an interview with a long time friend of mine Bob Passion who lives and works there now with streets kids in the context of a project called Bhor Cambodia.

The kids who learn and do art performances with Bob in Cambodia

Bob brought me the last album “Peur de Rien” (Fear of Nothing) he recorded there with his new local band “Kanlat Rik Rié” : I played excerpts from “Chez Mike, Maconiero, Pas Là, Là”. Punk is not dead in Cambodia with Bob !!

Bob’s band Kanlat Rik Rié Live on stage

You can DOWNLOAD HIS WHOLE ALBUM FOR FREE here :
WWW.BOBPASSION.NET
and all your welcomed donations will go to his project for kids “Bhor Cambodia”.

Rodolphe Burger and 8 French and Libanese musicians opened that unforgettable night with finalizing very properly and creatively (in despite very few days of rehearsals together) their musical project Mix Up Beyrouth (part 1 with interview in July at the festival de Marseille). The incredible good spirits between this relatively big young band made the alchemy around Rodolphe who was a very discrete but efficient artistic director.

Left to right (at the soundcheck) : Frederic (guitar, slam), Fady (multi-instrumentalist), Abed (buzuk), Youmna (guitar, voclas) Arnaud (drums), Rodolphe (guitar, vocals), Julien (bass), Rayess (rap; testing the sound in the venue) and Ziad (keyboards).
 
Live : Fady Abed Arnaud Youmna; Youmna Rodolphe Rayess Ziad.

Then it was the time for Rachid Taha to increase progressively the excitation in the crowd with a lot of guests and friends sharing the stage with his band, playing his repertoire but giving a deserved big place to Mick Jones, The Clash’s guitarist who looked like to have had a great great fun with us in Marseille, smiling and laughing the whole night ! As Rachid said : “It’s Christmas tonight…it’s madness !!”

Mick Jones started “Should I stay or Should I go” directly in front of me and it would be a crime not to try to film and capture that song despite my small compact camera’s weak abilities for this kind of act. So here you go :

Then, the wet atmosphere coming from the dancing crowd invaded the stage with a kind of fog which made heroic to take same good pics in front of the lightshow; it was a shame because Rodolphe Burger joined the team on the stage to add some electric guitar’s riffs between Mick Jones and his friend Hakim Hammouche (at the mandoluth in Rachid Taha), but here some family’s pics just for the fun and to see all these smiles on their faces : shared happiness ! Thanks to Marsatac !!

At last to conclude this report and give you as close as possible an idea of the Live ambience, a mix with a few short videos clips : Enjoy !!

Texas with her band in Marseille; Texas and Coco at Tiki Heart Berlin

This time we had the great pleasure to talk quietly at Tiki Heart a nice bar beside Wild at Heart (my favorite berliner punk rock club) about her long musical carrier who started in Austin (Texas) then in Los Angeles during many years before she decided to live in Berlin. Her talk is like she is : honest, direct, sincere, funny, touching, volcanic without compromise !!

Texas and Marina; Texas “the female Mick Jagger” in action !

I played some songs’ excerpts from her album “Your lips…my ass” : Never Shut Up, Strike, Dirty Action, The Rocker, One Hit Wonder, Oh Yeah! where a lot of famous American musicians participated to the recording : Wayne Kramer (MC5) Sonny Vincent, Marc Diamond (Motochrist), Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper) Cherrie Currie (Runaways) just to mention some of them + an Iggy Popp’s cover I recorded Live in Marseille : I wanna be your dog !

Texas and Beano; Texas and Marina : chicks who rock !!

Meltingpod Connection :
Not better news from Mick Cocks than to see him Live on stage with Angry Anderson and Rose Tattoo in Sydney July 24th 2009 !!!

review about the show HERE. My best thoughts to you Mick !

Rodolphe Burger (guitar and vocals) during the show Mix Up Beyrouth; Rodolphe with Julien Perraudeau (bass).

I immediatly loved Rodolphe Burger’s music, special sound and style when I saw him Live many years ago with his ex-band Kat Onoma so I will play a lot of songs’ excerpts from this band to illustrate that interview (The Radio, Artificial Life, Idiotic, La Chambre, Le déluge “d’après moi”, John and Mary, Play with Fire with James Blood Ulmer, Billy The Kid) as well as some excerpts from the Mix Up Beyrouth’s first Live performance at la Friche Belle de Mai July 11th 2009 (including an excerpt from the soundcheck !!). You can also check Rodolphe’s solo albums : HERE.

Rodolphe with Ziad Saad (keyboards, vocals, guitar); Rodolphe with Rayess Bek (vocals and computer) in the background Julien and Ziad.

Rodolphe met these 7 musicians from Beyrouth and Marseille for the first time just 10 days before the show and it really was a challenge to be creative and in harmony in a so short period of time : but they got it !! Second step in September for the Marsatac festival’s overture : don’t miss them if you’re in the area !

Youmma Saba (vocals guitar) Rodolphe, Julien and Ziad.

the whole band (from right to left) : Frederic Nevchehirlian (vocals guitar), Fady Tabbal (multi-instumentist), Youmma, Abed Kobeissy (busuk), Rodolphe, Julien, Ziad and Rayess.

Ziad taking the vocals, Youmma and Rayess during the encore !

Everybody focused during the soundcheck.

Obviously after the Mix Up Beyrouth’s project, I couldn’t resist to ask Rodolphe questions about Kat Onoma’s eventual future, how he built his own recording studio “The Farm”, launched his own label ‘Derniere Bande” and created his own festival “C’est dans la Vallée” + he announced me the next tour with his new trio…so many things that I forgot to speak about his last tour in China and Ouzbekistan !! Hoping it just was the part 1 !!

Ed in Dresden June 2009, Jeffrey at Mt Buller January 2009 (thanks to Justin for this nice pic !)

I played a lot of songs’ excerpts from their 3 albums compilation Cruel But Fair (Lucky Days, Ghost of an Ideal Wife, Holy Joe, Song Of Joy, Time No Hit But Missed) and The Laughing Clowns’ last album recorded Live at GoMa in Brisbane last January and produced by Ed’s own label Prince Melon Records (Bully in the Town, Come One Come All and Eternally yours) !!
The current line-up is : Ed Kuepper (guitar vocals) Jeffrey Wegener (drums) Louise Elliott (sax flute)) Leslie Millar (upright bass) and Alister Spencer (keyboards).

Ed and Jeffrey in Australia 2008 (pic from the greensea); Ed in Dresden with the Bad Seeds 2009

We closed the show with some of Jeffrey’s memories when he played with Nick Cave and his band the Birthday Party in 84 and the last performance at ATP in January 2009 in Australia which reunited the Laughing Clowns, The Saints and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds the same days in Sydney !

Meltingpod Connections :
Happy to be blogged by the famous Australian “Barman” !!

A nice intimate atmosphere in Junge Garde, an amphitheater with 3500 people (ref.the press) among the beautiful trees in the town’s central park, which allowed me to be in front of the stage without any big troubles : I can’t appreciate a show at another place, so close to the energy !

 
Nick Cave the charismatic poet and Ed Kuepper the guitar’s devil !!

Nick Cave taking the guitar to add still more electricity in the air…the threatened dark clouds disappeared subitely from the sky for our luck (it was raining almost all the time I was in Dresden !!).

Nick happy to have put the rose he got from a fan in Warren Ellis ‘ shirt : the poor had the both hands busy on his violin and couldn’t protest; Nick outside the stage, fascinating the audience with his voice and hands…

Ed Kuepper very focused in the music, Thomas Wyller who did a fantastic job using every tools which make sounds to beat his drums; Nick always involved 100% in his lyrics. The words I can remember which chronologically came through my head during the show : Magnifique, Excellent, Intensity, a dramatic intensity which gives you thrills on the skin.

All the 7 Bad Seeds on the same pic (from right to left) : Ed Kuepper (guitar), Thomas Wyller (drums), Conway Savage (keyboards), Martyn Casey (bass), Jim Sclavunos (drums), Nick Cave (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Warren Ellis (very small guitar and violin).

Ed Kuepper and Nick Cave constantly moving from a place to another one; another word coming to my head later was : Elegance in their attitudes, subtleties in the light shows (which unfortunately were not really captured by my slow camera) and sometime the feeling to penetrate in their musical laboratory where they are re-creating Live a new performance every night. By the way, even if front of the stage the sound quality was simply perfect ! Congratulations to Matt Crosby the sound engineer !

Ed, Nick and Thomas; Nick often pointing the sky; everybody singing the backing vocals. The show started precisely at 8:30 pm with the twilight and fortunately finished at 10:30 in the night allowing us to appreciate at least the colorfull light show with the music climbing in crescendo until the last song “Get Ready For Love” and the red and white lights effects at their maximum : Nice sentence for a goodbye !

PS : I was allowed by the security to enter in the audience with my small compact camera (no extra lens; the clips are just filmed with the basic video option) thanks to the management teams who are admitting right now that everybody who has a mobile phone in his pocket has in the same time a camera and a video recorder too. Nice they accepted now my little camera without phone. In fact at the AC/DC’s show in Marseille it was allowed too but I didn’t know it ! I dedicated all these pics and clips to Nick Cave’s and Ed Kuepper’s fans in Australia hoping you could see them Live too one day ! Thanks to Martyn and Gudrun who were my fantastic hosts in Dresden ! Thanks to Ed for everything : terrific to see him again in person and on the stage ! Long Life to the Bad Seeds !! For the European fans, check their tour’s next dates on their myspace pages and don’t miss them !

Meltingpod Connections : Update June 29th
I found Dresden gig’s set list in Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Forum : Tupelo, Dig Lazarus Dig !!!, Red Right Hand, Deanna, Midnight Man, The Ship Song, Henry Lee, Moonland, The Mercy Seat, Love Letter, There She Goes My Beautiful World, The Weeping Song, Papa Won’t Leave You Henry, Stagger Lee, (encore) Breathless, Straight To You, We Call Upon The Author, Jesus Of The Moon, Get Ready For Love and Lucy !! btw : I’m sure “Get Ready For Love” was the last song though…:)
PS : Thanks to the Queensland Music Festival, Ed’s next act after this tour, who chose my very first video at l’Olympia 2008 to present Ed’s work !!

Obviously there was a locomotive on stage, later a giant plastic Whole Lotta Rosie who rided on it, some excited girls in bra in the audience appeared shortly in the giant screens to cheers of the crowd, then Angus made his own striptease showing us at the end just his tagged underpants,

I danced like a crazy when I heard one of my favorite songs “Shot down in flames” but around me the people looked at me like a Martian…most of them only knew the last album…yeah the true fans were in front of the stage but the security guards didn’t allow me to join them. What can I say : I missed Bon Scott all the time but the Young brothers didn’t disappoint me, Angus was the devil incarnated all the time, even after a 15 mn solo in the middle of the stadium he kept giving and spreading his incredible energy in the show and in the music until the extreme limit.

Brian Johnson made his best though : “It’s rock and roll Marseille” and the public wearing thousands brighting red hornes on the head shouted : “Yeah” !! The band answered with an explosive cocktail : TNT, Highway to Hell, For those about to rock…we salute you !! and Firework !

A great rock and roll show in the tradition : it was the first time I saw AC/DC, I was happy to be there that night. Thanks to my sponsor and to my friend Pirlouiiiit from LiveInMarseille for the nice pics !!
Still a little video for the end ? Angus’ strip tease ?…:) Ok, here you go :

By the way if you want to hear a very special and seducing version from Highway to Hell, listen to the one from Ed Kuepper !! For info, Ed is playing guitar with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and touring Europe in a couple of days from June 12th to July 19th ! Try to cross their road if you can !

 
 
Rob Younger and Jim Dickson (both in Radio Birman before); Rob Younger; Jim and Brent; Dave and Rob

The New Christs’ line up 2006-2009 is Rob Younger (vocals), Jim Dickson (bass), Brent Williams (guitar), Dave Kettley (lead guitar) and Stuart Wilson (drums).

The French band Holy Curse opened the show for the New Christs that night in Marseille : a big thanks to Paulo the guitarist who organized the whole thing (the first time in Marseille for the New Christs) and to Vinz the bass guitarist (with Dimi Dero Inc too) who made the meeting and interview with Rob possible in a very relaxed and friendly ambiance !

 
Rob and Jim; Rob fronting a very attentive audience during the quiet parts of the show (last pic from my friend Pirlouiiiit photographer at LiveInMarseille review in French here; I’m somewhere in front of the stage !)

The New Christs are touring Europe right now with a new album “Gloria” : check their site and don’t miss them !!!

BTW : A little back in the history to 77 : Live at Paddington Town Hall where The Saints gave such a good show too, in the same year Rob Younger with…Radio Birman !!!

Ed Kuepper and Jeffrey Wegener at GoMA 2009 (Thanks Justin for the pics)

Ed formed that band in Sydney in 1979 and after producing many albums and performing with different line-ups the band spit up in 1984. We spoke about the writing song process and their projects for the future.
I illustrate Ed’s talk with many songs from the compilation “Cruel but Fair” : Diabolic creature, Ghost beat, That’s the way it goes, Stinking to High Heaven, Winter’s way + some surprises like Jeffrey’s and the King of disco’s short appearances !

  
Ed Kuepper, Louise Elliott and Leslie “Biff” Millar (Justin’s great pics)

I close the show with Eternally yours recorded Live at GoMa (Gallery of Modern Art) in Brisbane after the ATP tour last January in Australia : Ed sent me that special file to play it on Meltingpod, Enjoy !! A Live album and a DVD recorded during that whole performance should be released by Prince Melon Records very soon.
If you’re Australian, don’t miss their next shows : in Melbourne May 1st, in Sydney May 2sd and 3rd !!!

Frank Meyer (the Street Walkin’s Cheetahs - L.A.)

I started with a song called “Annie” by Copperpot (New Jersey) Michael found and dedicated me on his own show, then :
The Hangmen (L.A.) : Here she comes
Kick Kick (Kansas) : Heart over the bar
Frank Meyer and Thor (L.A.) : Standing On The Edge Of Hell
Small Doses (Washington DC) : B-Train
Michael Butler & American Heartbreak (S. Francisco) : Things are looking up
Texas Terri Bomb (L.A.) : Dream Wrecker
I hope you will enjoy that rock and roll from Obama’s country !!…
and a kind of my first birthday’s song coming from Australia…:)

 A little memory from March 8th 2005 !!